Spork Orlando - Page 43 of 72 - Finding Orlando's Tastiest Tables

Urban Tide @ Hyatt Regency

Jun 042015

After falling down a flight of marble stairs and subsequently laughing hysterically, I made a grand entrance into The Hyatt Regency’s Urban Tide restaurant. We were greeted by smiling faces and hosts that didn’t quite know if they should acknowledge my terribly ungrateful entrance or ignore me. Meanwhile I was (attempting to) make a joke of the whole scene. Once we were settled and ordering wine, all was right in the world again, and we were set up for what would be an exceptional evening of culinary pursuits.

From the service to local tomatoes and tuna, everything we experienced while dining at Urban Tide was exceptional. We throughly enjoyed every bite during our time at Urban Tide and recommend tasting any of these dishes during your next visit:

Grouper Cheeks: Topped with mild shishito peppers, cilantro shishito peppers and cilantro creamed Zellwood Farms corn. The milky, creamed corn and the lightness of the group paired for a delightful, unique appetizer.

Festival of Tomatoes: This plate was a tomato wonderland featuring local Florida grown tomatoes including: baby heirlooms prepared in a variety of ways and topped with a tomato champagne emulsion and aged balsamic. It’s a delightful symphony of tomatoes on a plate.

Five Spice Seared Rare Sushi Grade Tuna: An exceptional cut of tuna seasoned with Chinese Five Spice and served over green bamboo rice risotto and lemongrass vinaigrette.

PS: Scored this necklace from RocksBox, an amazing monthly subscription of jewelry! Grab some jewels for your next night out in the city.

Yellowtail Snapper: Flaky, mild and blackened and served with a trio of sauces. My husband is a picky seafood connoisseur and he was a major fan of this seaside dish. Recommended if you’re interested in a dish from the sea!

Off-Menu Tomato Parade: Halfway through our meal we were treated to the most unique tomato dish filled with a variety of tomatoes and a myriad of other ingredients. Here’s to hoping the chef puts this dish on the main menu soon!

Thank you Urban Tide for a scrumptious and enjoyable evening! Urban Tide is located at 9801 International Drive Orlando on the bottom floor of the Hyatt Regency. Click here for full menu details!

Food with Integrity: Chipotle

Jun 032015

We were recently invited by Chipotle to visit Lake Meadow Naturals Farms to see what farm to table really looks like. Chipotle is known for serving meats raised responsibly without the use of antibiotics or added hormones and then prepared with care and infused with that irresistible flavor we all crave.

What I didn’t know is that Chipotle locations in our area actually work with Lake Meadow Naturals for some of their ingredients – talk about living up to what you say. We sadly could not attend the event at the farm, but it’s worth noting and sharing that the Chipotle we all know and love actually serves local ingredients. And they get to know the people and farms that they partner with around the country.

The poultry from Lake Meadow Naturals is hormone and antibiotic free and raised in stress-free conditions. The farm has over 7,000 different types of naturally raised chickens as well as bees, goats, cows, in-ground vegetables and fruit trees. So, any way you slice it, you know your Chipotle is going to taste marvelous.

If you are ever presented with the opportunity to visit Lake Meadow Naturals Farms – GO. And you’re probably craving Chipotle now (like me), so you GO get yo’ self a burrito.

Photo Credits: Lake Meadow Naturals and Chipotle

Taverna Opa’s Summer Wine Dinner Returns

Jun 022015

Taverna Opa Orlando, the award-winning Greek restaurant known for its authentic cuisine and live entertainment, will welcome summer with its annual wine dinner series themed Air, Land & Sea, beginning June 25.

The June dinner features a five-course tasting and wine pairing menu, available for $45, inspired by Air, highlighting quail as the main dish of the evening. On June 25, the restaurant’s host, Katerina Coumbaros and wine partners, Benziger Family Winery and Luc Belaire, will create an interactive dining experience for guests, including a unique menu and carefully-selected Greek wine selections. The evening will commence with an introduction to Taverna Opa Orlando’s traditional Greek cuisine followed by a dinner at 6:45 p.m. The Taverna Opa Orlando team will interact with guests, walking them through each course and wine pairing.

The June wine dinner will feature the following courses:

FIRST COURSE	Tomatosalata – Heirloom tomatoes / watercress / imported feta cheese / olive oil / lemon juice. Paired with: Sauvignon Blanc, Benziger
SECOND COURSE	Kounoupidi – Cauliflower / Hummus Crust. Paired with: Chardonnay, Benziger
THIRD COURSE	Ortikia – Quail / Oregano / Lemon. Paired with: Cabernet Sauvignon, Benziger
FOURTH COURSE	Kotopoula – Airline Chicken Breast / Avgolemono Sauce / Artichoke / Spinach. Paired with: Merlot, Benziger
FIFTH COURSE	Yiaourti Pagoto – Greek Yogurt Ice Cream / Honey / Pistachios. Paired with: Rose Champagne, Luc Belaire

The next wine dinners will take place on July 30 and August 27. Guests can reserve a seat by emailing eatgreek@opaorlando.com or calling 407.351.8660.

SLATE and SOMM Coming to Orlando

May 282015

Concentrics Restaurants, an Atlanta-based restaurant group that owns, manages and develops nationally acclaimed concepts across the U.S., will open two new projects, SLATE and SOMM, in Orlando this summer. The openings mark a return to Central Florida for Concentrics, which launched two of the area’s highest regarded restaurants, Luma on Park in 2006 and Prato in 2012.

SLATE will bring a classic modern American restaurant offering wood-grilled cuisine to Orlando’s Dr. Phillips area. The regularly changing, seasonally driven menu will feature handmade pastas, pizzas from scratch, house-made charcuterie and other approachable fare such as whole fish, fresh salads and burgers. SLATE’s design, led by The Johnson Studio, boasts a causal wood and brick motif, centralized open bar and both indoor and open-air dining options.

The 4,500-square-foot restaurant is being developed by Orlando-based Unicorp and will share the newly constructed Parkside at Dr. Phillips complex with the recently opened Trader Joe’s at 8323 Sand Lake Road.

Acclaimed chef Dominic Rice will head culinary efforts at SLATE as executive chef. Rice will lead menu development and ingredient sourcing, while showcasing seasonality and local producers. Raised in Florida and a graduate of the Orlando Culinary Academy, Rice has worked at some of the country’s top restaurants, including Gary Danko in San Francisco, Jean Georges, Resto and Tipsy Parson in New York City, and at Luma on Park.

“We’re excited to expand in the flourishing Orlando culinary scene with SLATE and SOMM,” said Bob Amick, owner and founder of Concentrics Restaurants. “We selected the location for SLATE near the residential end of Sand Lake Road to bring a new dining option for the residents of Dr. Phillips, Isleworth and Windemere, but we also foresee it becoming a top culinary destination for all Central Floridians as well as visitors.”

SLATE is scheduled to open in June 2015. Day-to-day operations at the restaurant will be overseen by General Manager Shawn Tierney.

Concentrics is also introducing a one-of-a-kind wine bar to Orlando called SOMM, which is scheduled to open in July. Sitting near the entrance of Central Florida’s tallest attraction, the 400-foot Orlando Eye observation wheel, which is the centerpiece of the new I-Drive 360 entertainment complex, SOMM will offer a curated selection of boutique and fine wines developed by advanced sommelier Justin Amick. SOMM will also carry craft beers, artisanal sodas and a rotating selection of hot and cold dishes prepared by SLATE.

For more information on SLATE visit: www.SlateOrlando.com. Or follow SLATE on social media at:

Hooray for new hip dining spots in our city!

Photo Credits: SLATE

Surviving Summer & Staying Cool

May 262015

It’s here! The unofficial start to summer. For some the summertime means vacations and endless s’mores, but for those of us in The Sunshine State it’s HOT and extra humid. Thankfully we get to experience warm weather year-round, but come August, everyone’s over the heat. So, as we look forward to those fall #FloridaBrag days and wearing shorts on Christmas, here’s a few ways to stay cool during these stifling summer months.

Consume Loads of Jeremiah’s Italian Ice: These local shops are serving up tasty frozen treats around town including refreshing Italian Ice in over 40 flavors, creamy ice cream and Jeremiah’s Gelati – the perfect layering of any flavor Italian Ice with soft ice cream! The Gelati is fabulous and an unexpected burst of flavor where ice cream meets sugary goodness.

LaCroix Sparkling Water: Hands down the best sparkling water on the market. I may or may not have had 16 cans one weekend while the beach. Oops. Thankfully LaCroix is 100% natural, made with nothing artificial, calorie, sweetener, sodium, caffeine and gluten free. And it tastes good. While I enjoy all of the LaCroix flavors, their Cúrate line, which means, “cure yourself” in Spanish, and has stronger flavor cues and bolder aromas than the “hint of flavor” in the core LaCroix lineup. Either way, you can’t go wrong drinking some of this sparkling water while laying by the pool or lounging seaside. Go grab some at Publix!

Lineage Coffee Roasting: Skip the hot coffee on a sweltering day and pick up a bottle of Lineage’s cold brew with cream. Your cares will simply melt away!

Peterbrooke Chocolatier: Pop over for some creamy gelato and do not miss their Banana Caramel Praline gelato with sugar coated pralines! Rumor has it Oprah has buckets of this confection shipped to her house, so you know it has to be good.

Stay cool Orlando, stay cool!

Photo Credits: Peterbrooke, LaCroix, Jeremiah’s, Lineage photo by Spork.

In the Kitchen with Lake Meadow Naturals

May 252015

While Orlando offers plenty of options for dining out, our city also serves up some amazing local ingredients perfect for weeknight cooking. We all know chicken is easy to cook, incredibly versatile, and a wonderful choice for health-conscious home chefs. Grilled, sautéed, roasted or poached, chicken dishes range from comfort foods like pecan-crusted, honey-glazed chicken to the savory flavors of North Africa and Moroccan spiced chicken.

Unless you’re an experienced home cook, I’d recommend sticking to chicken recipes from the pros. We recently grabbed a copy of Linda Gassenheimer’s cookbook, Quick & Easy chicken. Sure there are thousands of chicken recipes on Pinterest, but most of them aren’t reliable. Gassenheimer’s book offers an affordable, easy-to-follow collection of chicken recipes. With dozens upon dozens of recipes based on flavors and traditions from around the world, this handy little volume is stuffed with quick and flavorful recipes everyone will love. Inside you’ll find recipes for every taste, including:

Oven-Fried Chicken with Creamed Corn and Lima Beans
Brazilian-Style Chicken and Quinoa
Gorgonzola Chicken Scaloppini with Fresh Linguine and Sweet Pimentos
Fresh Herbed Chicken with Red Potatoes and Green Beans
And dozens more recipes!

Equally as important as the recipe are the ingredients you use. We are lucky to have an incredible farm, Lake Meadow Naturals, in Ocoee which provides chicken, eggs and more to local retailers. And trust us, a local chicken will always have more flavor than one from across the country. So if you’re looking to get back in the kitchen, pick up this Quick & Easy Chicken cookbook and local Lake Meadow Naturals chicken at one of these locations:

Morris Farmers Market Winter Park, FL
Farmers Market at Our Biscotti Booth, Winter Park, FL
Sustain Natural Market, Altamonte, springs, FL
Harvill’s Produce, Orlando, FL
Winter Garden Farmer’s Market, Winter Garden, FL
East End Market, Orlando, FL
My Yard Farm, Orlando FL

Here’s to making a triumphant return to the kitchen this summer!

Photo Credits: East End Market and Dalyn Miller Public Relations

Date Nights in the City with RocksBox

May 242015

Sometimes you just need a fun dinner with your favorite person to erase your cares and de-stress. And while there are plenty of options in The City Beautiful for dining, some are more suitable for that weekend date night. So, the next time you’re planning a night out with your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend, keep some of these places in mind! And if you’re looking for some extra glam for your date night outfit head to RocksBox to rent some designer jewels! We’re obsessed.

Okay back to food, here’s our picks for the best date night spots in town!

Hillstone: I’ve always enjoyed Hillstone for its food, but also for the notable atmosphere. Step outside and you will find a seating area unmatched by any other local restaurant. The outdoor seating is on the edge of Lake Killarney and is filled with an herb garden and Adirondack chairs perfect for wine and conversation. The sunsets here are unbelievable and you can even reserve the dining dock that overlooks the lake.

Prato: Unhealthy as it is, I’ve always had a pizza obsession. There’s something about the cheesy, baked bread goodness that always makes my belly happy. The pizza at Prato is uniquely different as the pizza oven was handcrafted in Italy under the direction of Prato’s Chef! My personal favorite is the Widowmaker with caciocavallo cheese, romesco sauce, fennel sausage and a farm egg baked into the center. Go for the pizza, stay for the dessert.

Scratch: Looking for something a little more low-key? Head to scratch for a delightful tapas and wine experience. The funky vibe and low lighting is perfect for a delightful evening filled with yummy bites and sips. For more on our experience, click here.

There you have it, a short and sweet list of our go-to date night spots!

Photo Credits: All photos taken by Spork with the exception of Hillstone which was taken by the restaurant.

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